Tuesday, 31 December 2013

Hello! Hope everyone is having a lovely festive period. Now that things have settled down a bit I thought I would do a little haul post. Again apologies for the bad bad photos, my phone is usually okay for these sorts of posts but I really need some natural light for it and there is none, ever!

So this is what I found under the Christmas tree:

Some Avon nail polishes - one of the most underrated brands of nail polish I think.

Marks&Spencer skirt

Black Milk Clothing Burned Zebra tee

Tolberone and other chocolate goodies!

A smoothie maker since my mother thinks my brother and I are on the verge of catching scurvy or something

Slipper socks

Longchamp bag

2 cushions- I am going to buy another one of the fox ones because I think they would make a great pair

2 pairs of socks

And a beautiful wooden box with some Christmas money inside!

I made a super quick, again ridiculously low quality video if you want to have a wee look.

Saturday, 28 December 2013

So today is a little bit of a controversial topic, but let's do it we're all adults here and everyone is entitled to different opinions so lets all hug and bake cookies with rainbow sick etc. FUR. Let's do it. I know a lot of people these days are against fur in fashion, whether it be vintage or new. But I am not one of them and just thought I would share my thoughts on the issue and show you my furs while I am here. My wee collection consists of both new and vintage furs. Pictured above (in the dark since it never really gets light here any more) is my vintage mink scarf / stole. This is made of six mink and has tails and back feet still on it. Everyone I know hates it, even my brother who kills things! But I love it, it's so soft and pretty. I almost act as though it's still alive #creep. I also have the most gorgeous fox fur bomber hat with leather top. I love love love this hat, so soft and so warm. Sometimes I'm walking in to uni and I have to take it off because I get too hot! This is a new piece of fr which I bought when I went to Russia for the first time. I also have a pair of rabbit fur mittens but I don't know where they are, also new fur! My basic philosophy on fur is that I see it the same way as other animal industries such as meat and leather, and my reasons for enjoying fur are pretty much the same as for them! I have no problem with vintage fur for pretty obvious reasons- its already dead. And no amount of boycotting can bring that back, so yeah. New fur is the same as the other industries for me, but lacking a lot of the exposure and transparency we have in say meat farming. And so I think that by buying into the fur industry it could actually help it improve and change it so it is more pleasing to our conscious! Like we used to accept chickens being farmed in teeny tiny boxes, but then we were like "Noooo", now we have other options to eat. In my head we can do that with the fur industry too! And I also have my own wee moral about fur, I wouldn't ever wear anything I wouldn't want to either kill myself or see dying in front of me. Bit harsh to picture I know when you vocalise it like that but keeps me grounded and not wearing baby seal feet or something. Being from the country I'm kind of used to these things, and I'm okay with fox, rabbit and mink etc but would struggle with other types. Plus we have the other usual arguments for fur - environmental consequences of fur alternatives and the livelihoods of indigenous peoples. But let's not get into all that, I'm not trying to change anyone's mind with this blog post, just sharing my views since I don't think this is that popular an opinion to see! So no judgements please, big love etc.

Wednesday, 25 December 2013

Hi Everyone, Time for my generic Merry Christmas message which I am sure we will be seeing all over blog land. But I really do want to say Merry Christmas! Since starting this blog I've really enjoyed getting more into it, finding how I want to write, the pictures I want to take and feature and so on. I know it's a self indulgent hobby but that's okay! And by doing all this I am actually a lot more confident in myself and in photos, it's okay that I am not the usual fashion blogger shape and size - even less so with this festive period of eating coming up. But meh, who cares?! Anyway I digress, thank you for reading, if anyone even does. I hope I am getting better at this blogging malarkey. Have a lovely holiday! Oh look:Dachshunds being all cute and Christmassy. Fun fact we used to have a pair of these sausage dogs, they were known as Dorris and Gertie - who even names dogs that?

Saturday, 21 December 2013

This review has been a long time coming, and for that I apologise to the lovely people at Burning Artists Collective. So today I'll start with an OOTD post, to show you how the dresses fit on me then get stuck into the review section.It's pretty unstyled here, because I am lazy and did about a million outfits (well four) in twenty five minutes since I knew I had exams coming up and wouldn't get to shoot. So apologies, apologies for that.I am wearing: Burning Artists Collective Matchbox Dress - here for $24.95 in the saleOwl necklace - presentNew Look heels - you've seen them all before!

See, nothing exciting at all!

So the scoop back dresses: I think they are really flattering, I really love the little capped sleeves. The way its cut gives it a really secure and covered up despite it being a skin tight nylon dress! I like having my shoulders and arms covered since I'm a bit insecure about that part of my body. They are cut slightly smaller and shorter than other similar dresses - like Black Milk and CM etc. But not ridiculously short, you know how tall I am! And still decent with tights. I think that this smaller cut maybe gives it something these other dresses don't have - no ride up. Woooo! I love this particular dress because the print is so different and according to the website the photo of matchboxes is from a market in India by Sage Berry. I also have another dress- the Steps of Varanasi, which you can find here. I've not had a chance to shoot it yet because of exams blah blah blah. I have a pair of leggings too, but I'm not sure what they are called. Again a slightly smaller fit than my other leggings but still fit me.

Here is Varanasi in a BAC picture on Facebook - which you should all check out and like here.

Now Burning Artists Collective:Dealing with BAC has been an absolute pleasure! I am thoroughly impressed with their customer service and all correspondence with them. So the story: I discovered BAC during a half price sale and ordered the dress above. But BAC mixed things up a little and over marked the envelope meaning I was overcharged for customs. I sent a pretty flustered email and they dealt with me so professionally and we sorted everything out so smoothly. And as a wee thank you they even sent me my other pieces which I am so grateful for. The great customer service from BAC was such a nice and different experience. All too often I think people fob customers off with generic unhelpful responses - especially with online purchasing. So it was so refreshing to deal with BAC and their products are amazing.

Now that's all from me tonight. I'm looking forward to being able to shoot and write more over Christmas so expect lots more from me. Have an amazing Christmas everyone! The info: BAC WebsiteBAC Facebook M.M Hall Photography FacebookLiquid Grain Lookbook Liquid Grain FacebookLiquid Grain Instagram

Wednesday, 18 December 2013

Hey there! Quick OOTD post today. Jumped on to the beach to take these. I'm wearing:

Urban Outfitters tee Ebay knock off Egypt Leggings So now for a bit on these leggings. I have never bought fake leggings before but I was desperate for the Egypt leggigns and gutted when they sold out so I resorted to ebay. And I must admit for £11 they are pretty good! However don't expect anything amazing, quality wise it is nothing near BM. Their is one size only so your best bet is a S or a M. They are shorter than BM and they don't sit as high on the waist. Furthermore the stitching is really weak and the fabric thinner. But overall, £11, come on! So if you're stuck I would try ebay!

Sunday, 15 December 2013

Hi, bit of a different look from me today. Although I used to wear a lot of tweed, leather and shirts etc, these days I have ventured into bright prints and crazy clothes.

So this look is more what I used to wear, and I must say wearing this reminded me how much I love the more classical / heritage look. And I have decided to make more of an effort to channel this more, because I do have some beautiful pieces that should be worn more!

Thursday, 12 December 2013

Today is a quick look and it's just my OOTD. Pretty simple but I like it and thought I would post it up.

It was pretty simple but it was a mega cold day! So I had to quickly throw off my jacket for the photos then put it back on so quickly! I wore: - Floral top from some random German shop - Jeans from Jack Wills - similar here

Monday, 9 December 2013

Now that I've posted my Christmas Party look I thought I would post a Shopcade Party Wishlist as well! So I hope you like it, and remember go sequins or go home! You should check it out here. But the basic gist is shiny shiny.

Friday, 6 December 2013

So this weekend was the Mermaids Christmas Ball - their Facebook is here. This is one of the highlights of the St Andrews Christmas ball / social season, some would say THE best but I would let you decide that yourself! This year's theme was Willy Wonka! And believe me the extravagance and elements of fun was something straight out of the factory. We set off on buses from outside The Rule to take us into the Wonderland they had created at Kinkell. I had a great time with my friends, and some new ones I am just getting to know!

When we arrived we were treated to something fizzy, and then we made our way into the rather difficult to navigate Kinkell. OverallI feel it was pretty well organised. There were two bars where you could try Willy Wonka themed cocktails. And they were nicely spaced out across the venue. A well run coat check that went to charity - although I was a bit surprised at the £2 price tag considering I had paid £35 for the ticket in the first place! I wouldn't have minded £1 to go to charity but 2 seemed a little much, when some balls I have been to there has been a free coat check. Highlights included free Janettas ice cream all night! Which was absolutely scrummy - but isn't it always? There had been fears of this running out like in previous balls but I didn't get some until after midnight and there was still plenty. Although me and my friend A had to ditch the last of our cones to jump on a bus home since we were wimps with sore feet and ready for bed! And of course chocolate fountains but I didn't get to try any :(

And of course some awesome music to dance the night away to!

Now on to my outfit: - It being Christmas I wanted sequins. Don't question why, I just wanted them okay?! So sequins it was. And you can find my dress here in lots of different shiny colours for £39.99- An old clutch from New Look again - similar one here- And some amazing new shoes. I will do a full review on them soon but they are amazing! See them here for £35.Now for a little shoot from what I wore:

Tuesday, 3 December 2013

So today I discovered this great website- Bucket ListAfter watching a few too many feel good films I was feeling all emotional and ready to accomplish stuff! But in bed so not actually able to accomplish anything... except from signing up to a website and making my own list.So I think this website is a really good way to put down your plans and have them somewhere separate which you can cross off when you've done them - whether they are big or small! So I made myself a little page with some lists- although I've not managed to fill it out too much but I think it's a good start. You can see my list here. So if you join comment below and we can be friends on it and follow eachother's progress on the list!But here's a few pictures which are from items I've already crossed off my list:

Learn to fence - this is my brother but I did it for a while too!

A massive foam fight- the joys of attending St Andrews University!

Go to Venice - I went last year with my BF who took this beautiful picture. If you want to see more of his photos here. So sign up and make lists and accomplish them! Let's do stuff!

Saturday, 30 November 2013

A few of you may know that I live in the very picturesque St Andrews, but about 15 miles away from me is an equally picturesque town - Anstruther. So me and the man decided to take a mosey over to Anstruther, however we picked the worst day to do so! It was cold, wet and the light was pretty shocking! So we got there and first thing first was a chippy. You see Anstruther's main chippy has been voted the best chippy in the world (pretty much) for the past gizillion years. So we wanted to check it out, and it was actually amazing! You know how you sometimes have chippies where it is really greasy? This was the opposite - crispy and crunchy batter and chips while the fish was so soft and no bones in sight. After our amazing lunch we went for a walk around the harbour. There were so many boats moored everywhere which made some good pictures.

And I also jumped between some boats for a quick look shoot. Although as you can imagine it looks awful! But basically I am wearing: CM custom galaxy dress - CM's website hereRalph Lauren navy cable knit - website hereZebra print scarf from The Secret Boutique in St Andrews where I work Barbour waxed jacket - Barbour website hereLV bag - LV website here

Wednesday, 27 November 2013

Hi Everyone,Sorry for the delay in posting, I have had so many serious deadlines recently it was manic and I had only managed to schedule posts so far in advance. But the good thing is that over today and yesterday three Black Milk pieces have arrived! And only one was hit by customs- double woo! So I thought I would do a little haul post to show you them, with a mini review of them, just generally what I think really! First up is the only item actually from the Christmas Release- the others are just from the store. It's the Terror from the Deep GFT. This stands for Girlfriend Tee and is a lot more flattering and feminine than the BFT in my opinion - which I find to be quite boxy.

I got a Medium in this tee and I was immediately worried, reviews were coming in complaining the sizes came up small, especially across the bust. Being busty myself I was concerned, but these people are lying! (Well maybe not lying, but I think there is an element of scare mongering as maybe it is tight for some people but it is really not the end of the world tight on me!) I am bustier than average and this didn't feel any tighter than a normal tee would really. I understand we are all different shapes and sizes so that could explain that, but I wouldn't size up automatically. But basically the tee seems great, can't wait to get more! Next up we have the Monet Lillies Leggings, which you can find here. Limited but still some sizes left.

I have wanted these since they came out since I love art, but only got them when they went limited. They are so great and really flattering since the print is kind of abstract and very soft around your legs. So great!And lastly we have the Galaxy Purple Skater Skirt, which you can find here.

This was a present from my boyfriend for our two year anniversary, and it's great! My first skater skirt and I love it. So flattering and flowy! And such a great length, not like the skater dresses which are really quite short. That's all for now, hopefully I can get back into the swing of blogging soon enough! And here is my first real youtube video about my haul!